


A Little Push

by magicalgirldoe



Category: Alcatraz Series - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Dancing Lessons, F/M, Family Shenanigans, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, Matchmaking, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21628285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicalgirldoe/pseuds/magicalgirldoe
Summary: Kaz sighed as he leaned back in his seat. “Honestly, those two are going to be married and living together before they realize they like each other.”“These things take time, you know,” added another Smedry. “You can’t force it.”“Come on, Himalaya! It’s one thing to leave things alone, but those two really have something going there!”The Smedry family hatches a plan to get Alcatraz and Bastille to finally get together. Originally written in 2017.
Relationships: Bastille Dartmoor/Alcatraz Smedry
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	A Little Push

**Author's Note:**

> The last of my old fics! Originally written in 2017 to an unusual word prompt: "Concilliabule - A secret meeting of people who are hatching a plot."

“Are you sure he really asked her out?”

Kaz nodded. “Would I ever lie to you?”

“How did she respond?” Australia chimed in as she leaned in to listen.

Kaz paused to think. “She didn’t really seem to know what a movie is.”

“But did she say yes or no?”

“Neither.”

“Really?” Australia’s eyes widened. “Not even a hint?”

“Not even a hint.” Kaz sighed as he leaned back in his seat. “Honestly, those two are going to be married and living together before they realize they like each other.”

“These things take time, you know,” added another Smedry. “You can’t force it.”

“Come on, Himalaya! It’s one thing to leave things alone, but those two really have something going there!”

Murmurs of agreement came from the various Smedrys came from all corners of the room. While the scene was a typical Smedry family meeting, the topic of choice was causing quite a bit of frustration. 

(It should be noted that one key Smedry had not been notified of the meeting: one Alcatraz Smedry. It should also be noted that Bastille Dartmoor, knight of Alcatraz Smedry, was not present in any form either.)

“Let’s think about this; are we sure they have something going there?” Folsom asked. “What’s he like when she’s around?”

“They bicker somewhat,” Sing added. “But I haven’t been around them for too long since the Downtown Library invasion.”

“My boy, it’s clear he cares about her!” Leavenworth added. “You can see it in his eyes. There’s definitely something there.”

“And he gets all red-faced when she gets close to him!” Australia laughed.

“He does? When did you see that?”

“In the Library of Alexandria. He gets this dazed look on his face; it’s like he forgot how to think!”

“Well, how does she act around him?”

“I really don’t know how to read her,” Kaz sighed. “Pops?”

Leavenworth paused to think. “She’s definitely different. You can tell when she cares about something, _really_ cares, and she cares more about him than she’d like to admit.”

“Then why does she insult him all the time?” Folsom asked.

Kaz shrugged. “Denial, maybe. Himalaya?”

“Could mean anything. Maybe it’s her way of trying to tell him she likes him?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Sing said.

Leavenworth sighed with false exhaustion. “What are we going to do about these two?”

Folsom nodded. “I’d give their chemistry a four-and-a-half out of five; it’d be perfect if it had a payoff.”

A long pause settled the room into silence; then a wry smile settled across Kaz’s face as he spoke up again. “What if we gave them a payoff?”

Leavenworth raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, let’s give them….y’know, a little nudge.”

“Are you sure that’ll work?” Himalaya asked. “Like I said, forcing things isn’t a good call.”

“He asked her own on his own, and she would have responded if she knew what he was asking. I’d say they just need an icebreaker.”

“Alright, alright,” Himalaya smiled. “I’m on board.”

“Me too!” Australia chirped.

Folsom leaned forward in interest. “A solid idea, Kaz. What do you have in mind?”

***

“What kind of training did you say this was again?” Alcatraz asked as Grandpa Smedry led him through the halls of Keep Smedry. “I already had additional weapons training yesterday.”

“Not weapons training, lad!” Grandpa Smedry didn’t slow down, even as he turned corner after seemingly random corner. “Formal events training!”

“Formal _what_?”

“Ah, here we are.” Grandpa Smedry came to a stop in front of a massive door. “Althought we gave up the title, we Smedrys are still considered a royal family, remember? You’ll be getting invited to a lot of formal events, especially as you get older, and you need to know what to do should anything arise!”

Alcatraz raised an eyebrow. “This seems awfully short-notice. And weirdly specific. Besides, didn’t I do fine at the party on the day I arrived?”

“Ah, but that party didn’t have any formal dancing!”

“ _Formal dancing_?” Alcatraz could barely open his mouth for another question when Grandpa Smedry pushed him through the massive doors.

“Enjoy yourself, lad!”

Alcatraz stumbled forward, and found himself in a stunning ballroom. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, glass glittering in all colors of the rainbow. The floor sparkled with other, more opaque pieces of glass, set in a mosaic design. Himalaya and Folsom stood at the center of the room, with Kazan leaning against the far wall.

“What’s this about?” Alcatraz quirked an eyebrow.

“Exactly what he told you,” Kazan smiled coyly. “Himalaya and Folsom are going to teach you how to waltz.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I’m chaperoning.”

Alcatraz paused. “Like a school dance?”

“Exactly.”

He shook his head. “Fine, fine. What exactly do I have to do?”

Half an hour later, Alcatraz felt like he had some grip on waltzing. He copied Folsom’s movements as he and Himalaya spun circles around the room, with Alcatraz following behind by himself. There was no music (couldn’t risk setting off either of their Talents); instead, Himalaya kept time by counting out loud. It seemed rather pointless; but then again, didn’t a lot of this training feel pointless?

In fact, Alcatraz was rather proud of himself for being able to pick up any of the steps at all. Grace was not your strong suit when you naturally broke things at every turn, so any success was an achievement to him. When they finished with a final turn and bow, he felt he had done quite well for the day.

“Alright, now that you understand all the steps, we’ll have you do it with music,” Himalaya said as she and Folsom began to leave the room. “We won’t be here to help, but you understand.”

Alcatraz nodded, then turned to find the starting spot in the room.

“Oh! And you’ll have a partner,” Folsom added, just before they disappeared out of sight.

“I-What?” Alcatraz turned around to see Bastille entering the ballroom.

“Don’t be rude, Smedry. I can dance just fine.”

“But….um….” Alcatraz tried not to admit to himself that he really would like to dance with Bastille. “Don’t you need the training too?”

“I already know how to waltz.”

“How?”

Bastille raised an eyebrow. “I’m a princess, remember?”

“Oh, right!” Alcatraz quickly tried to look somewhat nice, running a hand through his hair and dusting off his jacket. “Well then, um….” He shakily extended a hand to Bastille.

She took his hand, her arms falling almost automatically into the proper positions, and looked at him skeptically. “Why are you so nervous?”

“Nervous? I’m not nervous!” Alcatraz tried and failed to distract himself from the fact that she had a hand on his shoulder, and that his hand had now moved to rest against her back. He smiled sheepishly. “What makes you think I’m nervous?”

“Well, you’re shaking slightly, and you’re sweating quite a lot.”

The boy tried to come up with a response, but paused as he heard voices from just outside the room. “Australia! The lights!”

“Right!”

“Did you hea-” Before he could finish, the lights had suddenly dimmed. The chandelier now seemed to shimmer, letting off small flecks of pink and gold.

“Alcatraz, are you alright?” There was a genuine note of concern in Bastille’s voice.

“Me?” Alcatraz focused back in Bastille. _Sands,_ she was close, and she seemed to carry all the grace and poise that he was lacking. She smelled like soap-she always did, so _why did it still make him feel so dizzy?_ -and in the low light her silver hair seemed to shine like silk. He wasn’t sure if his legs would be able to carry him enough to dance. “I mean, uh, I’m fine!” Hopefully she couldn’t tell that the sound of his heartbeat was pounding in his ears.

The slow music began to quietly ring throughout the room (if his heartbeat hadn’t been so loud, Alcatraz might have heard someone cue Sing to start the music), and the two began to drift around the room together. As they danced, Alcatraz found himself transfixed by Bastille’s eyes; he had never truly noticed it before, but they were a pale blue, like crystals reflecting the sky. The gold flecks of the chandelier shifted in and out of her gaze. They were, in a word….

“Beautiful.”

“What?”

“Gak!” Alcatraz squeaked slightly as he realized that he had finished his train of thought out loud. “I mean, uh….” _Brain-clouding radiation strikes again!_

“Did you call me beautiful?”

“Well, I….”

Bastille glared at him, and Alcatraz scrambled to recover. “I, uh, I was looking at, um….” He managed to choke it out. “Your eyes.”

She paused. “My eyes?”

“Yeah, um….”

“That’s….” She paused, seemingly surprised. “That’s really sweet, Smedry.”

He blushed, glancing down. Had he really just told her that? “Thanks.”

As Alcatraz raised his head to refocus on the dance, he briefly paused; a crack of light was entering the ballroom, caused by Kazan opening the door. It was clear he was on his way out. “Kaz?”

Kaz only turned back, paused, then winked at Alcatraz before leaving. Alcatraz sighed.

“What is it?” Bastille tried to look behind herself while still dancing.

“Uh, nothing!” Alcatraz turned his attention back to her as the realization dawned on him: they were alone.

There was a long, silent pause as he tried to work out what he wanted to say. When he finally spoke up, his voice seemed weaker than it ever had before. “Bastille, what I was trying to say before in Mokia….”

“Yes?”

“When I said we should catch a movie, I, uh…..I meant that, um…..I mean…..” Bastille only stared back at him. 

“Ilikeyoualot.” The words came out in a jumble, and Alcatraz winced, bracing for impact. 

“I know.”

He looked up at her. “You do?”

“I like you a lot too.”

_“You do?”_

She smiled. “You idiot.”

Alcatraz slowly carried out the final steps of the dance in shocked silence. _She likes me? She likes me a lot? She really really likes me?_

As the final chords played, she smiled as he stared blankly at her. “If that’s what catching a movie means, then I’d love to.” Instead of bowing to each other, when the dance ended, she stepped closer to him, laughing at his expression. “You nerd,” she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

With that, she walked out through the giant doors. When they shut behind her, Alcatraz’s legs officially stopped being able to support him.

***

“What did she say? I couldn’t hear her!”

“Who cares?” Kaz grinned. “We have a genuine confession!”

“I guess Alcatraz has a date, then.” Himalaya laughed. “I didn’t think that would actually work.”

“I knew they could do it!” Australia cheered.

“Yes, I’d give that a 10 out of 10 in terms of romance,” Folsom added.

Laughing, Leavenworth enveloped the other Smedrys in a massive hug. “Kazan, go get my grandson up off the floor! He has a very important date to prepare for!”


End file.
